US environmental organization Sierra Club has canceled its scheduled trips to Israel after pressure from progressive and anti-Zionist groups, The Jewish News of Northern California reports.
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Activists accused the Oakland-based nonprofit of "providing legitimacy to the Israeli state, which is engaged in apartheid against the Palestinian people," according to an email sent last week from a volunteer leader.
The decision to cancel its trips to Israel came in a mass email sent out by Mary Owens, the chair of the Sierra Club's National Outings team.
The conservation group founded by naturalist John Muir in 1892 had for years offered visits to Israel.
Last year's trip took place in March, called "Natural and Historical Highlights of Israel." It was billed as a chance to "discover unique history and incredible biodiversity on a comprehensive journey through this enduring land," with stops including Jerusalem, Jaffa, the Dead Sea and the Red Sea.
Shlomo Waser led the two-week tour at a cost of nearly $5,000 per person.
The Israel trip was removed from the website advertising upcoming trips, which include visits to China and Malaysia – two countries accused of human rights abuses.
The canceled trips were for this month and March 2023.
The email from Owens cited an advocacy push from a "Jewish American activist" and progressive and anti-Zionist groups, including the pro-Palestinian Adalah Justice Project, the Indigenous rights group the NDN Collective, the Campaign for the Boycott of Israel, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Sunrise Movement and the Movement for Black Lives.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
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